The path to recovery from depression can be challenging. It can be difficult to understand the symptoms, and identify depression in ourselves and others. Even after recognizing these symptoms, there is stigma that is often associated with seeking treatment for depression, despite how common of a mental health condition it is.  

This stigma often makes people hesitate to ask for help and look up for resources to manage their depression. Here are some ways that you can improve some of the symptoms of depression you may be experiencing.

Understand your depression symptoms: Understanding that depression is a disorder, and not a personal failure or problem on your part is an essential step towards getting better. As you have a condition, it requires support and treatment. You don’t have to go through it all alone. As depression is becoming increasingly common, you can read how others going through depression feel. Understanding your symptoms, and the ways people around you are managing it can give you clarity on what you are dealing with. Listening to people’s stories of those who have overcome depression can also be inspiring and can instill hope within you that it does it get better with time. 

Seek professional help: Therapy is an effective tool in understanding the thoughts and negative beliefs that support and prolong the feelings of depression. Therapists help you notice these feelings and create space for the emotions, instead of suppressing or pushing them away.

Therapy also helps you uncover and explore the emotions beyond the apparent ones. Sometimes, when you explore depression, you can notice feelings of shame, anger, guilt, and other emotions coming up. Therapy can help you process these complex emotions by dealing with them in a safe space. 

Therapists can also help you identify negative thought and feeling patterns that enable depression to stay within your system. Thus, building this awareness helps in developing a deeper understanding of what causes and sustains your depression. 

Consider medication: If you feel like your symptoms are too intense, and are affecting personal, work, and social functioning, then you should consider using medications. However, medications for depression should be consumed only under clinical supervision, like a psychiatrist.  Medications for depression can help you manage these symptoms and can make you feel more balanced. 

Engage in activities you like to do: One of the main signs of depression is losing interest in doing things you normally do. You may notice that you don’t like following your normal routine or do activities that bring you joy. You may also begin to withdraw from your loved ones. Engaging in joyful activities like talking to friends and loved ones, doing mild exercises, going for a walk, can help even if you are not up to doing them. This is because doing these activities have built in rewards which release feel-good hormones like endorphins into the body once they are done, helping you overcome depression. 

Do regular physical activity: Doing mild forms of activities, like slow yoga for even a short span of time like 15 minutes can reduce low mood. Being regular and consistent with taking out a few minutes for mild physical activity can bring a huge difference into your mental health.

Mindfulness and meditation: The concept of mindfulness has been around for centuries. Incorporating mindfulness into meditation can bring a huge shift in your mental health. People often have a misconception that mindfulness meditation or meditation in general is to “quieten” the mind. However, mindfulness helps you observe and watch your thoughts and emotions without getting entangled in them. 

Since it is a practice, it isn’t something that comes to many people right away. If you are starting out with a new practice like meditation, you can start by taking a course so that you will be doing the course with a group of people motivating you. You can learn more about and register for our 8-Week Mindfulness Meditation Course here. 

Or, you can take a small step to simply get started with a guided meditation right away by clicking here.  

Having a balanced diet: We refer to our gut as our “second brain.” Our brain and gut communicate constantly, and both are influenced by one another’s actions. As a result, what we put into our bodies ultimately shapes how we think and feel. Depression also alters our appetite levels. If you have an increased appetite, it is best to consume healthy foods, even if you eat often. 

Try your best to avoid sugary snacks. Sugary foods can make you feel better momentarily, however it does slow down your digestion, and lower your energy, increase fatigue, and reduce your motivation in the long run. Therefore, try to incorporate more fresh vegetables and fruits into your diet which can help the body feel lighter and energetic. 

Take baby steps to overcome depression: Sometimes, the tendency to set high and unrealistic goals on yourself can do more harm than good. This is because when you are unable to achieve these goals, you may go back to feeling low and unmotivated. Instead, set realistic expectations and manageable goals and move towards them by taking small, intentional steps.